Role of chemokines/chemokine receptor systems in cartilage degradation

The underlying mechanism of the degradation of articular cartilage is an imbalance between anabolic and catabolic pathways, which are under the control of cytokines. Chemokines are a novel class of small cytokines and have a wide range of effects in many different cell types, both inside and outside of the immune system. Their actions are mediated by a family of 7-transmembrane G-protein-coupled receptors. Recent studies have demonstrated that chondrocytes co-express chemokines and their receptors, and that the interaction of chemokines with their receptors results in the release of cartilage matrix-degrading proteinases, and affect proteoglycan metabolism in chondrocytes. These data reveal a catabolic pathway primed by chemokine/chemokine receptor system in articular cartilage, thus proposing a novel therapeutic approach against cartilage destruction in arthropathy. (C) 2001 Prous Science. All rights reserved.